Beach House Project

Shelburne Beach House Project

Welcome Back to the Beach!

The Shelburne Parks & Recreation Committee is looking forward to another summer full of sun, swimming, picnicking and all the other activities you have come to love and enjoy at the Shelburne Beach. As a committee we work year round to provide opportunities and events for the Town of Shelburne that appeal to all residents and their guests including the Champlain Classic, Me & My Guy Dance, Winterfest at Shelburne Farms and the Annual Tree Lighting to name a few.

Since closing the Beach last fall, we have continued discussing improvements that are needed to the beach house and the overall grounds. The Shelburne Beach was used an educational site for students in a Landscape Architecture class during the fall semester. We were able to attend their final project presentations and have many new ideas. In addition to removing dead trees that were unsafe near the playground, we have worked with a local design firm to get professional recommendations on the beach house which include renovating the existing structure and/or completely rebuilding it. To see the presentation, look under Related Documents. As part of this anticipated project, the septic holding tank needs to be replaced as well.

We have learned a bit along the way and would like to share these findings with you: We understand that the existing bathrooms are not appealing and need remodeling.; the State of Vermont has many laws in place that dictate what can be done to structures that are on the shores of Lake Champlain and other bodies of water; and if we were to completely rebuild the beach house, the new structure must be on the existing footprint.

As a committee we welcome feedback from Shelburne residents to improve the overall beach appearance and functionality in keeping with the conditions and policies as established by the deed set forth when the land was given to the Town. Have a safe and fun summer!

The Shelburne Recreation Committee

History

The property we now know as Shelburne Beach was donated to the Town of Shelburne in the fall of 1954 by Dunbar and Electra Bostwick. The concrete block Bath House was built by volunteers in 1956. Minimal maintenance and few upgrades have been made to the building since it was built.

Where do we go From Here?

The next step is to secure money in next year’s budget to have a formal design done. We will be looking for public support to show the Selectboard that this project is a priority. We will provide a public process for gathering feedback on the design elements, and what features or issues are most important to residents who use the beach.

Before the design is started, the Town must decide what direction we will move forward with from the options below:

1. deferred maintenance only,2. deferred maintenance and some improvements, or 3. taking down the existing structure and building a new one using the current slab and footprint.

Early estimates provided by Vermont Integrated Architecture indicate it would be less expensive to build a new structure rather than try to improve the current one. Given this and other information we have learned, the Recreation Committee is strongly in support of moving forward with option 3 and will work toward securing money for the design process. Once the design is determined, we will have a better idea on the project budget, and can plan it into the capital plan. Our goal is to complete the project in the next 5 years.

Beach House Project - Why is it Needed?

At a minimum, the deferred maintenance list below needs to be addressed.